Fire Escapes – Preservation and Maintenance

External fire escapes are now an iconic part of architecture in older buildings. Modern structures have them inside; in a fire-rated place where people trying to escape aren’t at risk. However, old fire escapes have their own charm and are sometimes preserved for their historical significance.

Even if you don’t use them, fire escape maintenance is of vital importance. We at Boston Ironworks believe people should regularly inspect their fire escapes to ensure that they’re in good condition. Here are a few ways to do that.

Inspection

According to experts, fire escapes should last as long as the building it’s attached to. In order to achieve that, regular care and attention is vital. The first step to ensure that it’s sound is to inspect it thoroughly. Have your building’s engineer look at it. He would be able to spot any bent, missing, or loose parts. These can be anything like steps, railings, bolts, slats, angles, etc.

He must also check the condition of the drop ladder and make sure it rolls properly. The escape should be stable and be able to comfortably bear the weight of several people rushing down during emergencies. If your building’s engineer notes any problems, they should be addressed promptly. It’s not wise to ignore fire escape repairs.

Repairs

In most cases, the repairs aren’t very complex. We might just be required to tighten loose bolts, weld certain broken pieces, or refurbish it. The most troublesome repairs we encounter are ones to the supporting beams, railings, angles, etc. In such cases, you might need to replace the beams.

We’ll need to remove the brick or masonry near the anchoring points to replace the beams. Actioning regular repairs are an important part of fire escape maintenance. These structures are old and therefore need to be treated with care.

Refurbishing

Like all iron structures, it’s important to scrape and paint fire escapes regularly. Exterior escapes are constantly exposed to the elements and need care. However, it can be a tedious job. The structure needs to be scraped completely so that we can inspect for cracks, rust, and vulnerabilities. After that, it needs to be coated with rust preventing agents before applying paint.

Refurbishing is one of the most essential fire escape repairs you can do as it maintains the looks of the structure and protects it from the elements. For questions and enquires, you can call Boston Ironworks at 617 657 3117. You can also fill in this contact us form. We’ll get in touch with you as soon as possible.